Loving your body

I am the one that I want!Thread Starter

This is question I throw out to everyone, do you think it is possible to LOVE your body? I'm helping with preparations for Love your Body week at the university where I work and last year many of the students had a negative reaction to this slogan. It has been suggested that we change it to make peace with your body. (Even though, it is a national event started by the National Organization for Women and they call it your body week.

What do you all think?

And also one other question, I'm in charge in creating a table that looks a positive body image? How do you think positive body image can be created?

Member

You don't ask anything difficult, do you LOL? Women are so self-critical and we're bombarded with unrealistic images that many of us feel it's impossible to love our bodies because we see them as so flawed. I wish I could love my body, but the best I can hope for is accepting my body, while trying to improve my health. Maybe that's the same thing as making peace with it, I don't know. I'm way older than your audience so I'm just throwing my thoughts out there.

If I think of something for a table/positive body image, I'll post again. Maybe the younger brains will come along and be more help! It sounds like a worthwhile project. Good luck with it.

Wol

I try to...I dress neatly and try to look nice. I had a SO who was really critical of my appearance, and simply ripped my self-esteem up. He refused to have physical relations with me because he thought I was overweight. I am 5'6" and weighed 130lb.

Now I've had a kid, breastfed the kid..my body's showing it's sag and bag, and I'm going gray...I don't really care. After all, impermanence is a part of life!

#11146

Authenticator

And also one other question, I'm in charge in creating a table that looks a positive body image? How do you think positive body image can be created?

Thanks for all you thoughts and ideas!

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Have you thought about getting together photos of women that have made significant, important contributions to humanity (and don't necessarily fit the perfect sized clothing)? Since this is a college crowd, you'd want to choose people that college women at the least recognize, hopefully know the contributions the women have made. I'm far removed from what college women would consider "important contributions to humanity" but I'd bet you could pick some. Just NO CELEBRITIES!!

â¥

On the idea of calling it "make peace with your body," I'm not a fan. To me that just suggests that the best you can do is make peace with your body, and actually liking or even loving it is just too unrealistic a goal. Yeah, it's a pretty lofty goal, but to call it "make peace" to me just seems to admit defeat before you even make the effort. I'd stay with the original name.

I run with scissors

I did a seminar once a long time ago on body image. I started by taking a very large piece of paper (big enough to draw a life sized female). Then, I had the girls tell me what the ideal body looked like, and I drew the body as per their comments. Of course, the end result was a Pamela Anderson look alike. Then, I brought out another drawing, this one was done by me with the direction of adolescent males. They were identical. The point was, the girls have been "brainwashed" into thinking that the perfect body is the exact same that boys do. In the moment, it is sort of a powerful process as the girls are always very shocked and angry.

I am the one that I want!Thread Starter

On the idea of calling it "make peace with your body," I'm not a fan. To me that just suggests that the best you can do is make peace with your body, and actually liking or even loving it is just too unrealistic a goal. Yeah, it's a pretty lofty goal, but to call it "make peace" to me just seems to admit defeat before you even make the effort. I'd stay with the original name.

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YES! This was my feeling as well. The person on our committee who suggested it is a grad student at the Women's Center(!) I became sort of frustrated/mad for the reason you mention. It seemed so defeatist. I mean, yes given our society it's challenging, but your in your body 24/7! Not only SHOULD we love it, but it deserves to be loved! It just made me sad to hear that person, especially from a place promoting empowerment of women, say it was an unrealistic goal.

I am the one that I want!Thread Starter

Have you thought about getting together photos of women that have made significant, important contributions to humanity (and don't necessarily fit the perfect sized clothing)? Since this is a college crowd, you'd want to choose people that college women at the least recognize, hopefully know the contributions the women have made. I'm far removed from what college women would consider "important contributions to humanity" but I'd bet you could pick some. Just NO CELEBRITIES!!

I am the one that I want!Thread Starter

I did a seminar once a long time ago on body image. I started by taking a very large piece of paper (big enough to draw a life sized female). Then, I had the girls tell me what the ideal body looked like, and I drew the body as per their comments. Of course, the end result was a Pamela Anderson look alike. Then, I brought out another drawing, this one was done by me with the direction of adolescent males. They were identical. The point was, the girls have been "brainwashed" into thinking that the perfect body is the exact same that boys do. In the moment, it is sort of a powerful process as the girls are always very shocked and angry.

Click to expand...

that's a great exercise. Unfortunately, I've run across some girls, who would just nod and say "yes that's what I want to be so I can get a man". It's not about pleasing yourself, but becoming attractive in someone else's eyes..

I am the one that I want!Thread Starter

Hi Guys! Just as a follow up, I thought I would post some of the ads we are doing for the event. We ended up coming to a compromise on the title of the event. Let me know what you think of what we've done....

I love bags

Admin

I am the one that I want!Thread Starter

^^thanks for the feedback! I will pass it on. the handbook is still in its infancy, it's supposed to be a "journey" of body image development from youth to old age. It's a challenging idea, but so far looks good.

Member

i have always been really self-conscious about myself, i had an eating disorder when i was younger, but when i met my fiancee he loved every part of me for what i am, and i now have more confidence than ever before.

i think its important to feel good about yourself, and i think even if you're not 100% happy with your body, you can dress and accessorise in a way that hides the bad bits and flaunts the good bits!